1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of cookware, and in particular to a low pressure cooker having pivoting latch handles for locking the lid in position relative to the pan.
2. Description of the Related Art
In today""s world of two breadwinner households, families have less time to prepare meals and are continually looking for faster methods of cooking. One way to accelerate cooking time is with the use of a pressure cooker. A pressure cooker in its simplest terms is a cooking pot having a lid, which can be sealed so that pressure will build up inside the pot when it is heated. In order to prevent the pot from over-pressurizing and exploding, the pressure cooker must be provided with a pressure relief valve.
Pressure cookers have been known for many years. A common type of pressure cooker employs a lid having a plurality of circumferentially spaced flanges, which interlock, with similar flanges on the cooker body or pan when the lid is rotated relative to the pan. A lid with this type of locking mechanism is known as a xe2x80x9cbayonetxe2x80x9d lid. Bayonet style pressure cookers often operate at pressures of 5-15 psig. These cookers do an excellent job of cooking, however many people are afraid to operate them for fear that they may explode.
One problem with such pressure cookers is that attempting to open the lid while the cooker is still pressurized can injure a cook. A lid removed in this fashion can be propelled away from the cooker with sufficient force to cause substantial injury. Steam and hot liquid, which can cause burns, can also be expelled from the cooker. In order to prevent this type of injury, it is advisable that these high-pressure bayonet type cookers be equipped with an interlock system, which prevents the lid from being removed while the cooker is pressurized. Numerous interlock systems of this type have been the subject of U.S. patents, some examples being U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,765,563; 4,423,825; 4,932,550; and 6,105,808. These interlock systems add significantly to the safety of the cookers, but they also add to the expense and complexity of the devices, and, of course, cannot be released to open until the pressure inside the cooker has decreased to a safe level.
The dangers associated with prior art pressure cookers are directly related to the high pressures that they employ for cooking. A cooker operating at substantially less pressure can still accelerate cooking time significantly, while be much less dangerous and less intimidating to operate. A low pressure cooker can also employ a more simple and convenient form of lid closure mechanism because the lid can be safely unlatched even while under pressure.
The present invention comprises a low pressure cooker including a pan having a bottom wall and a sidewall extending upward from the bottom wall to a top edge. The top edge of the sidewall defines a pan opening and includes a flange, which extends outwardly from the sidewall. The flange includes an upper sealing surface and an outer lip spaced upwardly from the upper sealing surface. The pan opening is selectively covered by a pressure cooker lid sized and shaped to be positionable on the sidewall flange in covering relation with the pan opening. The pressure cooker lid includes a pressure relief valve having a preset relief pressure. An elastomeric seal is positioned between the outer edge of the pressure cooker lid and the upper sealing surface of the sidewall flange.
The pressure cooker lid is latched in place relative to the pan by a plurality of latch handles having a fixed member secured to the sidewall proximate its top edge and a latching member including a latch dog. The latching members are each attached to the respective fixed members so as to be pivotable about a generally vertical axis between a latched position wherein the latch dog overlaps a portion of the pressure cooker lid and an unlatched position wherein the latch dog is clear of the pressure cooker lid. Each latching member includes a glide, which depends from the latch dog and engages the pressure cooker lid as the latching member is moved into the latched position. The glide pushes the pressure cooker lid downwardly, forcing the elastomeric seal into sealing engagement with the flange sealing surface.
The pressure cooker may also include a second, non-pressurizable, lid sized and shaped to be positionable on the flange outer lip in covering relation with the pan opening such that its top surface is spaced upwardly from the sidewall top edge a sufficient distance to prevent the latching member from being moved into the latched position.